Monthly Archives: January 2013

The Mexican-American architectural photographer Pedro E. Guerrero, might not have been as famous as his contemporary, Julius Schulman, but he, too, photographed masterworks by 20th Century giants like Eero Saarinen, Marcel Breuer, and, most famously, Frank Lloyd Wright. Guerrero, who died last year, also created indelible images of lesser known — Continue reading…

If you’re looking for a reason to go to Barcelona—and let’s face it, who isn’t?—I’m pleased to offer you four: a suite of visually compelling, primary-colored guides and fold-out maps designed by Astrid Stavro Studio for Barcelona’s Tourism Oﬃce. The series focuses on the city’s shopping districts and the retail streets — Continue reading…

If it’s true, as some claim, that the words minimalism and grace are synonymous, then the work of the British architect John Pawson may be the ultimate embodiment of the term. Pawson, whose 2003 design for the Nový Dvůr monastery in the Czech Republic solidified his status as the only — Continue reading…

What is with all the weather indoors? First I saw Berndnaut Smilde’s Nimbus pieces; now I see Tomas Saraceno’s Cloudy House installation at Andersen’s Contemporary Berlin. Saraceno’s exhibition includes a cloud installation, sculpture, video and photographs. The clouds are constructed of matte, white paper which are suspended individually by nylon — Continue reading…

“A vivid focal point from every angle,” is how Toronto’s Projector Design describes this desk, and who could argue? It’s still in prototype stage, but the color alone may end up turning the 001 Desk into a ‘must have’ art piece. The indigo blue work top, hand crafted from — Continue reading…

What’s better than giving? Giving and getting, that’s what. All you have to do is purchase one or more beautifully reductive furniture or lighting offerings by Gus*, and you’ll get them at a 15% discount. As if that weren’t enough, for each piece you buy, 2Modern will make a donation to — Continue reading…

Knowing where to look first was the enviable challenge we, here at 2Modern, were faced with this week at the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF). As always, the beauty, imagination and sheer volume of things on display left us more than a little breathless—and most eager to be assured — Continue reading…

You have to hand it to the Vienna-based design studio, Mischer ’ Traxler. Just when it seemed impossible for designers to get any more inventive with the shape of a bowl, this duo has found a way to keep things interesting. Their Reversed Volumes line of food-safe vessels takes its cue from — Continue reading…

If you’re lucky enough to be staying a the Standard Hotel in downtown Los Angeles anytime soon, pay a bit more attention to the blanket on the bed. The concentric pattern, rendered in grey and saffron, and with text that reads, “all people are multi dimensional,” is the creation of — Continue reading…

There’s good penmanship, and then there’s what Jessica Hische does. The San Francisco-based designer and illustrator creates hand-drawn letters and entire alphabets so unusually ornate in their beauty, they seem almost better suited to a more genteel era. Which may be why her handiwork lends itself so nicely to Penguin — Continue reading…

2Modern is at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan this week, reporting from the New York International Gift Fair. We’re drooling over the jaw-dropping number of products from designers around the globe, and keeping tabs on all things cool and innovative and just plain beautiful. Check back over the next few days — Continue reading…

Hand-written notes may be taking a back seat to digital communication these days, but if you’re looking for an excuse to make a lasting written impression, these gorgeous cards and envelopes may be the answer. Inspired by Indian textiles and architecture, these recycled cotton paper products from John Robshaw Textiles are machine stitched — Continue reading…

Who ever heard of a folding chair handsome enough to take center stage? The folding chair is supposed to be the supporting cast member, even bit player; important, yes, but never the star. Then, there’s the Easy Chair by Danish manufacturer Carl Hansen, a folding chair whose impossibly slender silhouette is crafted from solid — Continue reading…

Fair trade gold and recycled silver may not be common terms in the jewelry business, but that isn’t stopping the German jewelry designer Ute Decker from building her reputation around sustainable and ethical practices. These dazzling “arm sculptures” are crafted from recycled and ethically sourced silver and gold—and judging by how dazzling they — Continue reading…

Do you have 4.5 million dollars? Then this lovely home in Sweden could be yours! Just listen to this place: “The main floor features a magnificent, spacious living room, dining room and kitchen in an open layout and with amazing views, as well as a bedroom and an office. Direct access — Continue reading…

Lighting fanatics know that Marset is a company known for making some pretty stupendously wonderful modern lighting. How stupendously wonderful? Well, check out all that Marset has to offer on 2Modern. But be sure to pay extra special attention to some of their new items on the site! Why? Because — Continue reading…

January already more than halfway over and you’re not quite sure where the month’s gone? Already feeling a little stressed, overworked, exhausted and bummed out that your resolution to be more calm and balanced this year is kind of going by the wayside? It may be time to add a — Continue reading…

Curves in stone seems against nature, yet man has been creating curves out of stone for centuries. It takes great skill to transform hard Carrara marble into sensuous shapes of legs and arms. Even more so, in my humble opinion, to wield the tools creating biomorphic forms in the — Continue reading…

Marüshka was originally founded in 1972 in Michigan and became famous for their popular method of hand-printing and silk-screening decorative canvases. Super popular in the 1970s and 1980s, you often saw these affordable wall art pieces in commercial spaces as well as residential homes. Now prized by vintage-loving collectors, these — Continue reading…

Soft, organic, subtle, haunting, sad, promising — Landon Metz’s abstract paintings are all these things and more, and his work from 2012 is a mixture of all the best things he creates. Using colors expertly, Landon’s created these tiny microcosms that make you almost wish you could zoom in and see — Continue reading…